Jia Ying Chew

Biography

Jia Ying Chew is a Doctoral Researcher at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, where she investigates the role of design in transdisciplinary higher education. She is also an Education Design Strategist at the Division of Industrial Design, National University of Singapore (NUS), a Young NUS Fellow, and a DesignSingapore Scholar.

Currently, Jia Ying's doctoral research examines how transdisciplinarity is translated into teaching practice, the role of design in this process, and the identification of transdisciplinary competencies. It also examines institutional setups and support considerations necessary for implementing transdisciplinary education. Her work explores the peripheries of design, where it intersects with other disciplines and non-academic partners.

Over the past 8 years, her professional practice spans service design, experience design, and educational innovation, centered on reimagining design education particularly in developing frameworks for cross-disciplinary learning and stakeholder engagement. She specialises in design-driven transdisciplinary education and has collaborated extensively with government agencies, educational institutions, and industry partners.

Key pioneering projects include:
- NUS Transdisciplinary Innovation Project: The creation of a brand new pilot module bridging Industrial Design, Engineering/Computing, and Psychology
- Nordic Rebels, a design-driven blended learning platform fostering creative and interdisciplinary approaches in education
- MA IDBM x Slush Service Design Minor programme which was catered specially for Slush Team Leads and Committee members to apply service design methods and tools to the planning of Slush 2019

Recent Publications:
- Chew, J.-Y. (2023). "Designing for X-Disciplinarity: Why, What and How? Why Now?" in Design Education Across Disciplines, Palgrave Macmillan.
- Lehtonen, M.J., Yeow, P. & Chew, J.-Y. (2022). "Empowering change for future-making: Developing agency by framing wicked problems through design," Futures.
- Chew, J.-Y., Lim, D.Y.M, Yap, C.E.L & Lee, J.J. (2021). "Introducing Complex Stakeholder Networks to Design Students: A Method of Stakeholder Improv-Play," Proceedings of IASDR 2021.
- Chew, J.-Y. (2021), “Siloed in Breaking Silos: A Case Study of Interdisciplinary Curriculum (Mis)Alignment”. Proceedings of the LearnxDesign 2021: 6th International Conference for Design Education Researchers. Shandong University of Art & Design, 23-27 September 2021, Shandong, China (Online).



Her contributions have been recognised through multiple awards, including the NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award (2023), Best Research Case Study Award at LearnxDesign Conference (2021), and the Danish Design Award in the Better Learning Category (2019) for Nordic Rebels. She was also awarded the Teaching Enhancement Grant (AY2021/22) from the NUS Centre for Development of Teaching & Learning for her team's innovation in design-driven transdisciplinarity.